Lorraine Nkuni Tshuma, 47, has further been served with a deportation notice after it was discovered her visa expired nearly a decade ago. She has also been ordered to serve 220 hours of community service, while a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation application has been opened.

NHS fraud investigators and the UK Borders Agency (UKBA) found that Tshuma arrived in the UK in 2000 on a six-month visitor’s visa to take a short training course. After the visa had expired she obtained a false Home Office letter that appeared to grant her indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK.

This gave the illusion she had settled status and Tshuma used the letter to gain admission to a three-year nurse training Diploma course at Anglia Ruskin University in October 2004 - with £18,238 sponsored by the East of England Strategic Health Authority.

Shortly afterwards, using the same letter, she successfully applied for a full Diploma level NHS student bursary of £30,972 and dependants’ allowances for her three children, whom she brought to the UK. She went on to fraudulently earn £13,100 working in private care homes.

Common place in the UK. Student visas are routinely exploited and universities routinely lie about 'students' status...very ,very common.

UK Borders and Immigration know about these practices but it takes place on such a massive scale that effective policing is very difficult. There is also the lack of political will to take into account.

Every time someone defrauds the system stricter measures are put in place at times this puts the geniune worker/applicant off due to the amount of hoops you need to jump through which is sad because this person and others like him/her makes it difficult for others who are honest and trustworthy.